Distance

Mass

Size

Discovery Methods

NGC 7457

This is one of the least-massive black holes yet detected in the core of a galaxy. It is roughly the same size and mass as the black hole at the center of our own galaxy, the Milky Way.

NGC 7457 is classified as a lenticular galaxy, so when viewed edge-on, it would look like a lens. Early observations with Hubble Space Telescope showed that the stars in its central bulge are more densely packed than expected.